RFK Jr makes wild claim over teenage boys' testosterone and even Jesse Watters is baffled
Secretary of Health and Human Services
Robert F. Kennedy Jr
has made some outlandish claims
since assuming office earlier this year,
including
claiming that autism can be cured
and describing a
recent outbreak of measles
among unvaccinated people as "not unusual."
Now Kennedy has taken up his latest health crusade, this time involving teenage boys' testosterone. During an appearance on Fox News'
Jesse Watters Primetime
on Tuesday, Kennedy claimed the testosterone levels in teenage boys have dropped significantly over the last several decades.
"A teenager today, an American teenager today has less testosterone than a 68-year-old man," Kennedy said, prompting Watters to grin and laugh at the assertion. "Sperm counts are down 50%."
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RFK Jr makes wild claim over teenage boys' testosterone and even Jesse Watters is baffled
(Image: Fox News)
Watters seemingly tried to give Kennedy the chance to clarify his statement and the HHS secretary doubled down on his comments, adding that he believes testosterone levels have dropped 50% from historic levels.
Despite Watters's reaction, Kennedy's claims are not completely unfounded, although he may be off about the exact figures. While research on this specific subject is limited, one study published in the
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
suggested testosterone levels in men have been dropping by 1% every year since 1980. This is nowhere near the 50% figure RFK Jr is claiming.
While the causes of this potential drop in testosterone levels have yet to be identified, it's been long understood that testosterone levels naturally decrease as a man ages. However, a study published in the
Urology Times Journal
found similar results, noting that testosterone levels have dropped among young adult males from 1996 to 2020.
The study notes that a number of causes could be responsible for this drop, including obesity and a lack of physical activity.
Despite these studies, RFK did not mention them during his interview with Watters, presenting them as if they were his opinion rather than an empirical fact. Kennedy has made a number of specious medical claims since taking office, despite holding no medical degree of any kind.
These assertions include claiming that autism is a "disease" that can seemingly be cured, despite most mental health and medical professionals categorizing autism spectrum disorder as a developmental disorder.
There are no blood or biological tests for autism; it is diagnosed by making judgments about a child's behavior.
Research has looked at a variety of other possible explanations, including genetics, the age of the father, the weight of the mother and chemicals in the environment.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a news conference on removing synthetic dyes from America's food supply, at the Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, DC on April 22, 2025.
(Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Prior to his rise to health secretary, Kennedy joined anti-vaccine advocates in claiming childhood vaccines are responsible for autism, but studies by the CDC and others have ruled that out. A fraudulent single study that claimed a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was later retracted by the journal that published it.
Kennedy recently announced a major study into the cause of autism and told an April 10 Cabinet meeting: 'By September we will know what has caused the autism epidemic and we'll be able to eliminate those exposures.' But last week, he softened that to having 'some of the answers by September.'
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